Pin lock for separable fastener slider



Dec. 3, 1963 R. JENSEN PIN LOCK FOR SEPARABLE FASTENER SLIDER Filed Jay. 8, 1962 R m o M m 3 m m A United States Patent 3,112,546 PEN LOCK FOR SEPARABLE FASTENER SLEER Robert Jensen, New Britain, Conn, assignor to The G. E. Prentice Manufacturing Company, Kensington, (Jenn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Ian. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 164,823 4 Claims. (1. 24-20514) This invention relates to separable fastener sliders and has for its object the provision of an improved locking device for the same.

Sliders for separable fasteners composed of flexible strips or stringers provided with spaced interlocking elements are often provided with one or more pins or lugs formed to extend through recesses in the outer wings thereof and into direct engagement with the interlocking elements when it is desired to make such sliders selflocking. The present invention relates to an improved locking means of this type to provide for a more positive and faster locking action than is possible with the prior known constructions.

For a better understanding of the invention as well as the advantages and novel features of construction thereof, attention is directed to the following description, to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a separable fastener with a slider embodying the invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of of such slider;

FIG. 3 is a View similar to FIG. 4 showing the pull tab raised at right angles to the slider plates;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

The slider 11) shown in the [drawings is of conventional construction and is mounted on a customary form of separable fastener comprising stringers 11, ll provided on their opposed edges with the usual locking members 12, 13 that are engaged in interlocked relation or disengaged from such relation by the slider as it is moved upwardly or downwardly, respectively, on the stringers. Actuation of the slider ii) is accomplished by the pull 14 having its lower end pivoted to a lug 15 projecting from the top or front wing 16 of the slider for movement about an axis 1'7l7.

The pull i4 is provided adjacent to the pivotal axis PIT-d7 with a pair of protruding lock elements .29, 21 m the form or" pins or studs and constructed to pass through the recesses 22, 23, respectively formed in the top wall 16 of the slider and to engage fastener elements 12 and 13, respectively, located in the body of the slider, when the pull is moved from the position shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings to the position shown in FIG. 4 thereof. Normally, when the pull 14 is released after being actuated and the slider is in a vertical position on a garment, the pull will drop to cause the lock elements 26 21 to enter the recesses 22, 23 automatically and to come into engagement with the fastener elements, in position to readily enter between adjacent pairs of the fastener elements 12 and 13.

It will be seen more clearly from FIG. 2 of the drawings that the two lock elements 2%, 21 are each composed of an integral extension of the pull tab that has been bent at two places to bring the extension into a triangularly formed locking pawl which projects beyond the inner edge 24 of such tab. Thus, the locking pawl 2:3 is constituted of an elongated extension of the metal material of the pull tab 14 and having a width and thickness substantially the same as the body of the pull the finger tab or pull 7 3,1125% Patented Dec. 3, 1963 tab. The locking pawl 26 comprises a root section 25 which is integral with the inner edge 24 of the pull tab 14- and which projects therefrom in substantial alignment with the body of such tab for a relatively short distance and to a curved or outer side section 26 of such pawl. The section 26 is formed by bending the extension at 27 so that section 26 is deposed to the root section at an angle of about 60, and .so that the outer edges of such bend 27 and section 26 form a smooth curve toward the other bent end 28 of such section. The second bend 28 is about at the intersection of the plane containing the inner edge 2'4 to enable the third or inner side section 29 of the extension to be bent down so that the outer end of such extension engages the inner surface of pull 14 adjacent to the inner edge 24 thereolf'and overlying the pivotal axis 17-417 of the pull. With this construction, the inner section 29' will also be disposed with relation to the root section at an angle of about 60 so that the triangular form of the pawl is substantially isosceles. It will also be noted that substantially the entire pawl, except that portion of the inner section 29 thereof overlying the body of the pull, is disposed beyond the inner edge 24 of such pull, with the center line of one bend or apex 28 adjacently beyond such edge and with the other bend or apex 27 in substantial alignment with the body of the pull.

The locking pawl 21 is constructed in a manner substantially similar to that of pawl 2a to provide a triangular construction composed of a base or root section 3% an outer side section 31 and an inner side section 32. It will be noted however that the bend or apex 33 projects out farther and is sharper than the corresponding apex 27 of pawl 29 and that the outer side section 31 is disposed at an angle of approximately 45 with relation to root section 30 and less than the angle the outer side section 26 makes with its associated root section 25. As a con-sequence the bend or apex 34 of pawl 21 will be displaced inwardly longitudinally with relation to apex 28 of pawl 29 a distance enabling both to simultaneously engage between locking members on their associated stringers. The inner side section 32 which is substantially equal to section 31 engages with the inner surface of pull =14 inwardly of the pivotal axis 1;7-l7 of the pull.

It will be noted that as a result of the aforesaid pawl construction, when the pull is released the outer apexes 27, 33 of the pawls 2t 21, respectively, will automatically come into positions relative to the locking members 12,13 respectively, of the stringers enabling positive pivotal movement of the pull with very slight movement of the slider on the stringers. Thus a slight spreading force on the two stringers above the slider would result in the pull tab being caused to move into locking position positively and surely (compare FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings). It will be seen that in this operation the outer apexes 2'7 and 33 initially enter into the spaces between their associated series of locking members and on movement of the slider such apexes and their associated sections 26, 31 respectively, through their engagement with at least one looking member positively cam or swing the pull to bring the apexes 23, 34, respectively, from a disengaged position into position between the locking members to perform the actual locking operation. Due to the difference in shape of the lugs, the locking action takes place with only a slight movement of the slider and si multaneously on both stringers and reduces to a mini mum the possibility of the pawls slipping or missing spaces in the stringers before coming to a locked position. It will be noted in this connection, that as the result of such differences in shape of the lugs to effect this result, wherein the locking apexes 28, 34 are located in offset relation to each other, and the outer apexes 27, 33

are located in offset relation to each other, the overall extent of the outer peripheral edges of the locking element or pawl 21 is longer than the overall extent of the outer peripheral edges of the locking element or pawl 20.

While I have hereinabove described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such form may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a body member having parallel Wings embracing a channel through which the rows of fastener locking members on the two stringers of a slide fastener pass and the top wing of which is provided with openings communicating with said channel, a lug projecting upwardly from said top wing, a pull having means for pivotally connecting it to said lug, and a pair of locking elements movable through said openings into engagement with the fastener locking members when the pull pivots toward and against the bottom end of said top wing, said locking elements each being constituted of an elongated member integral with the inner end of and forming an extension of the body of the pull, said elongated members being folded lengthwise over the underside of the inner end of the pull body so as to form such locking elements and being deformed so that one of said locking elements is of different shape than the other, and to provide on said locking elements substantially triangularly-shaped locking lugs in offset rela tion to each other and long enough to extend into the slider channel and into the spaces between the fastener locking members .to engage in interlocked relation with fastener locking members in both rows thereof, and to provide on at least one of said locking elements between said locking lug thereof and the connected end of the elongated member of which such locking element is formed, a second substantially triangularly-shaped lug long enough to extend into the slider channel and into the spaces between the fastener locking members in an associated row thereof, and located in such leading relation to said locking lug with which it is associated that as the pull pivots toward and against the bottom end of said top wing, said second lug initially engages such associated row of fastener locking members and is coactable with a fastener locking member of such row when a spreading force is applied to the stringers above the slider, to positively swing the pull so that said associated locking lug is moved from disengaged position into interlocked relation with such associated row of locking members.

2. A slider such as defined in claim 1, in which the apex of the triangularly-shaped lockinglug on one of said locking elements substantially overlies the inner end of said pull body, and the apex of the triangularly-shaped locking lug on the other of said locking elements substantially overlies the pivotal axis of said pull, and in which the apex of said second triangularly-shaped lug on said one locking element is located beyond the inner end edge of said pull body so as to be located outside the area of such pull body.

3. A slider such as defined in claim 1, in which each of said locking elements generally form a triangle in which a portion of the base thereof projects beyond the inner end of said pull so that such locking elements in part only overlie said pull body, said triangularly-shaped locking lugs thereof being located on the outer apexes of such triangular locking elements opposite the bases thereof, and said second triangularly-shaped lug being located at the outer end of said projecting base portion of said one locking element, said outer apexes of said locking elements being located in such offset relation to each other, and the outer ends of said projecting base portions of said locking elements being located in such offset relation to each other, that the overall extent of the outer peripheral edges of one of said triangular locking elements is longer than the overall extent of the outer peripheral edges of the other of said locking elements. I

4. A slider for slide fasteners com-prising a body member having parallel wings embracing a channel through which fastener locking members pass and the top wing of which is provided with openings communicating with such channel, a lug projecting upwardly from said top wing, a pull having means for pivotally connecting it to said lug, and a pair of locking elements movable through said openings into engagement with the fastener locking members when the pull pivots toward and against the bottom end of said top wing, said locking elements being constituted of a pair of triangular lugs disposed in longitudinally extending, spaced parallel relation on said pull, the bases of said triangular lugs projecting beyond the inner end of said pull so that said triangular lugs in part only overlie the body of said pull, each of said triangular lugs consisting of an elongated member integral with the inner end of and forming an extension of the body of said pull, each of said elongated members being folded twice to provide such projecting portion of said base in substantial alignment therewith, an outer side section extending inwardly in inclined relation from said base projecting portion to the apex of the triangular lug, and an inner side section extending outwardly from such apex into engagement with the inner face of said pull body, said outer and inner side sections being disposed at acute angles to said inner face of the pull body, the outer and inner side sections in one of said triangular lugs being disposed at different angles to the inner face of the pull body than the outer and inner side sections of the other triangular lug, so that the triangular lug formed of one of said elongated members has a different configuration than the triangular lug formed of the other member, the outer side section of one of said triangular lugs being disposed at a greater angle to the inner face of the pull body than the outer side section of the other triangular lug, and the apex of said one lug being closer to the inner end of the pull body than the apex of said other lug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING PARALLEL WINGS EMBRACING A CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH THE ROWS OF FASTENER LOCKING MEMBERS ON THE TWO STRINGERS OF A SLIDE FASTENER PASS AND THE TOP WING OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHANNEL, A LUG PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID TOP WING, A PULL HAVING MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING IT TO SAID LUG, AND A PAIR OF LOCKING ELEMENTS MOVABLE THROUGH SAID OPENINGS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FASTENER LOCKING MEMBERS WHEN THE PULL PIVOTS TOWARD AND AGAINST THE BOTTOM END OF SAID TOP WING, SAID LOCKING ELEMENTS EACH BEING CONSTITUTED OF AN ELONGATED MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH THE INNER END OF AND FORMING AN EXTENSION OF THE BODY OF THE PULL, SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS BEING FOLDED LENGTHWISE OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE INNER END OF THE PULL BODY SO AS TO FORM SUCH LOCKING ELEMENTS AND BEING DEFORMED SO THAT ONE OF SAID LOCKING ELEMENTS IS OF DIFFERENT SHAPE THAN THE OTHER, AND TO PROVIDE ON SAID LOCKING ELEMENTS SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULARLY-SHAPED LOCKING LUGS IN OFFSET RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND LONG ENOUGH TO EXTEND INTO THE 